Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Social Justice – in the Senedd at 1:49 pm on 20 October 2021.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 1:49, 20 October 2021

Diolch yn fawr, Peredur, for that question. I was very proud to be health Minister when we started along that route, with the refugee doctors scheme, as we called it then, 20 years ago. And I always recall Aled Edwards reporting on how many of those refugee doctors we were supporting through language skills, through the scheme that developed, and which has now been replicated and followed, not in Wales, but across the UK and further afield, and how so many of those doctors who then got GMC recognition were working in the NHS across Wales and the UK. So, it is very important that we look to the opportunities and the scope of that scheme. It will be very much for the Minister for Health and Social Services—. In fact, I've raised that question with her, in terms of not just doctors, but other health professionals as well. But I would like to say that we do have the opportunities, again, with our Afghan refugees who come to join us here in Wales, many of whom have skills—their whole families; the husbands and wives have skills—as we've seen with the Syrian refugees, who are now playing their part, particularly in the NHS, and I certainly will be raising that point again about the scheme and how we can enhance it.